The Process of Americanization

Paper Summary:

The paper examines "Saving Sourdi" by Mai-Lee Chai and "Clothes" by Chitta Banerjee Divakaruni in order to highlight the process of the immigrants becoming Americanized. The paper describes how the characters try to fit into American society and transform themselves from immigrants into American women.

From the Paper:

"In "Saving Sourdi," the main character is Nea, who always tries to "save" her sister when she is in trouble, even if she does not need saving. Sourdi is older and wiser than Nea, and she has managed to fit into society better, too, even if she does submit to an arranged marriage. Nea kind of expects life in America to be perfect, and Sourdi knows better. Nea thinks, "When we moved to South Dakota, I thought we'd find the real America, the one where we were supposed to be, not the hot sweaty America where we lived packed together in an apartment with bars on the windows [...]" (Chai 131). Nea thinks that to fit into American society, everything needs to be perfect and perfectly American. It is funny, because they move to the Midwest, which is supposed to represent the "real" America, and Nea thinks it is "hick.""

Sample of Sources Used:

• Chai, Mai-Lee. "Saving Sourdi." The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Meyer, Michael, ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 130-143.
• Divakaruni, Chitta Banerjee. "Clothes." The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Meyer, Michael, ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 273-143.

More papers on The Process of Americanization:

• Essay # 24152 : "Coping With The Process Of Aging"
• Essay # 32524 : "The Evolution of American Literature"
• Essay # 86049 : "The Selection of Judges in America"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: